Between A Wrestler & A Hard Place
by DelicateKTheory
Summary: Adam Copeland & Lucy Eton have always danced between friends and lovers. When Adam retires from wrestling, he is determined to be a larger part of her life. But secrets unfold and Adam learns that the first cuts really are the deepest.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Adam "Edge" Copeland, Jay "Christian" Reso, or anything else pertaining to World Wrestling Entertainment. I am just a fan; and I am not profiting from writing this piece. **

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><p><strong>Twenty Years Ago – Summer of 1991<strong>

My heart was pounding louder than the Prince album that Jay had on repeat. Adam was tightly gripping my hand as he led me up the stairs. I nervously glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone noticed that he and I were no longer a part of the party that Jay's parents would most certainly ground him for throwing. I sighed in relief. No one noticed or cared. Everyone was too busy living up their last night as Orangeville District Secondary School seniors. Well, almost everyone was living up their last night as seniors. I, for one, had been slightly dreading it…and kicking myself for making that stupid pact with Adam when we were sixteen. Would it make me any less of a friend if I let go of his hand and went running out of Jay's house like my rear was ablaze?

_Come on, Lucy_, I thought to myself. _Just get it over with._

My body stiffened even more as I watched my best friend push open Jay's bedroom door. Adam, while giving me the sweetest smile, let go of my hand and said, "Ladies first." I gave him a bashful smile in return and then forced myself to enter the room.

I jumped as Adam flipped on the lights.

"Sorry…Did you want to leave them off?" he asked softly.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"The lights are okay with me, if they're okay with you," I replied in a tone that was even softer than his.

He touched my bare shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Try to relax. Okay?"

I nodded.

"I'll try."

Adam gently shut the door. He moved Jay's desk chair in front of it; so that no one could walk in on us. I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. Adam clasped his ponytail in a nervous manner and took a seat next to me. We were sitting so close together that I could feel his thigh pressing against mine. The butterflies in my stomach were gradually working their way into my throat.

"Luce…"

I jumped as Adam said my name. Then I bashfully stared into his captivating green eyes. He placed a compassionate hand on my knee. I practically melted into a puddle.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"No," I answered softly. "But there's no one I trust more than you, so…Are you sure _you_ want to do this?"

He bit his lower-lip and looked down at the floor.

"No, not really…I mean, it'll change everything about our friendship."

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Yep…"

We fell silent for a moment.

"Do you want to forget about it?" Adam asked. Then he added quickly, "Because we can totally forget about it, if you want to. We can just go back downstairs, watch Jay be inadvertently thrown through his living-room window by one of the drunken football players, and forget this whole awkward conversation."

"But I thought you didn't want to graduate still a virgin?"

"I don't. And I know you don't. But now that I think about it, maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"We've kind of already promised ourselves to each other. So we might as well go on and get it over with."

Adam gave me the sweetest apologetic look. He took my hand his.

"I know that, Luce. But I really think we should wait for that special someone. Not settle for a friend just because it's a safe bet."

Why did I feel like I was being dumped? Adam knew he had hurt my feelings without me having to verbalize it. His eyes widened; and he shook his head.

"No. No. I didn't mean it like that. You're very special to me; and you know I love you to death. But I'm just not sure if I'm the guy you should be sharing this experience with."

"I understand," I said softly.

No, I didn't. I didn't understand. What was so repulsive about he and I being intimate? It's not like I expected him to happily proclaim me as his girlfriend during graduation tomorrow. I realized a long time ago that I would be nothing more than a friend to him. I just wanted one night where I didn't feel like one of the guys.

Adam sighed in relief, "Whew! I'm glad that's settled."

He slowly rose to his feet and started for the door; but I grabbed him by the hand.

"Adam," I said in a dejected tone. He turned and gazed down at me.

"Why did you bring me up here, if you really didn't want to?" I asked.

He let out a sigh.

"I felt like I wanted to, Lu—"

"You don't have to lie to me, Adam," I scowled. "I just hate that I was so bent out of shape about this; and you've waited until now to change your mind. I know I should feel relieved, but I honestly don't."

He gave me that sweet apologetic look again.

"I'm really sorry," he said in the most sincere tone of voice. "I really am. But one day you'll look back on this moment and be thankful I said no."

We stared at one another for a moment; and then Adam headed for the door again.

"Or what if I end up resenting you instead?"

Gosh, I sounded like a spoiled little brat.

Adam turned around. He was giving me a look of surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Or what if I end up resenting you instead?" I repeated.

Hurt flashed across his face; and I immediately wished I could have taken my words back. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt him.

"Adam," I sighed. "I just want this scary, intimacy crap behind me. Have you realized that I've only been on one date during our entire four years of high school; and you and Jay had to practically pay him. Oh yeah, don't think I don't know about the little deal you three made. On top of that, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I haven't even been properly kissed yet."

Adam sat next to me again.

"You've never had a proper kiss?" he asked with surprise.

The blood rushed to my cheeks and I laughed, "Yeah, well, having the ability to belch the chorus of _Rock and Roll All Nite_ doesn't exactly put me on a guy's Must Tongue List."

Adam laughed, "I think it's totally bad ass that you can belch the chorus of a Kiss song." He was giving me that rare full smile of his. It was such a contagious smile; and it may be cliché to say this; but it truly lit-up a room. Shoot, it could have lit-up an airstrip.

"See. That's what I mean," I said with a soft smile of my own. "What if I don't find someone else that thinks all my weird quirks are cool? Or what if I do? What if I go away to college and find someone else; but I don't have the proper experience. Can you imagine going away to college and not knowing if you're a good kisser, let alone if you're sexually satisfying? I don't mean you specifically. You're not going to have that problem I don't think. At least you have the kissing thing going for you…or so I'm told. Not that I sit there and gossip abou—"

"Luce," Adam laughed again.

I blushed again.

"Sorry, I was just trying make a p—"

"I know," he nodded. "But could you shut the hell up for a millisecond?"

"Okay."

Adam stared at me for a moment or two. Then he shifted his body and leaned toward me, which caused me to lean back. He slid a little closer and leaned in again, which caused me to lean back…again. I was staring at him in a curious manner.

"Will you sit still?" he laughed. "How do you expect to get your first proper kiss when you keep moving away from me?"

It was my turn to give him a look of surprise.

"You're willing to kiss me, but you won't do it with me?"

"Hey, friends can kiss other friends. There's no harm in that. Sex is a whole different hockey game, sweetie…And you said you trust me more than anyone, right? Who better to give you an honest evaluation of your kissing prowess?"

I pouted.

"I don't want a stupid pity kiss, Adam."

"It wouldn't be a pity kiss, Luce."

"I bet it wouldn't."

"It wouldn't," Adam insisted. "It would be an apology kiss for bringing you up here and then turning into a chicken shit."

Want to know the truth? I was dying to know what it was like to kiss him. Was he as good as his reputation said? Or was it all talk because the girls in school knew he was going to be a big-shot professional wrestler one of these days?

I shrugged and casually said, "I guess an apology kiss would be okay then."

A grin danced across Adam's lips.

"Okay then…Sit still and let me work the Copeland magic."

I laughed slightly and rolled my eyes.

"You're so full of crap sometimes."

Adam struck me as an aggressive kisser; but he wasn't. He was extraordinarily gentle. He wrapped one arm around my waist and cupped my face in his free hand. I was so nervous that I started trembling. Adam gave me a disarming smile and lowered his head. His lips were unexpectedly soft, almost like silk. I jerked when I felt them gently moving against mine. What was I supposed to do? Sit there and let him do all the work? Why didn't he tell me what I was supposed to do before he started to kiss me? That would have been helpful. After a moment or two, I very hesitantly commenced to moving my lips with his. He must have approved; because I suddenly felt his tongue. I jerked again in response. He very sweetly stroked my cheek with his thumb. I decided to do something with my hands. One rested tensely against his chest while the other wrapped loosely around his neck. I moaned softly as he deepened the kiss.

Just when I started to get comfortable with kissing him, Adam pulled away. Bah-humbug! I bit my lower-lip and slowly opened my eyes. Adam was grinning playfully at me. He knew he had really snagged me. Copeland definitely lived up to that reputation.

"You're not too bad," he said bluntly as he wiped my lip-gloss off his lips. "I've kissed a lot worse."

I blushed and slightly moved away from him.

"Thank you…I think."

He frowned, "I didn't mean it as an insult. I just meant that it wasn't bad for someone who's never kissed someone else before."

"I know," I nodded.

We fell silent for a few minutes. I was nervously fiddling with the hem of my sundress. Adam was watching me the whole time.

"Would you like to go back to the party?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"No, not really…Prince is going to be stuck in my head for a week."

Adam laughed, "Yeah, well, Jay running around in nothing, but a jockstrap, with the number three painted across each ass-cheek is going to be in my head for a couple of years."

"Maybe you shouldn't have spiked his soda then," I giggled.

He laughed again, "Yeah, maybe."

More silence followed.

"Would you like to do that again?"

I looked over at Adam with a lifted brow.

"What? Kissing?"

"Yes."

My brow lifted a little further.

"Seriously…That wasn't weird for you?"

"Not really. It was just a kiss…" Adam shuffled uncomfortably. "Was it weird for you?"

I smiled a little, "No."

"So, would you like to kiss again? You know, practice makes perfect and all that jazz."

I laughed softly and said, "Sure, you can kiss me again…if you want to."

"But do _you_ want me to?"

I shrugged.

"We have nothing better to do."

Adam smiled slightly. He brushed a strand of my chestnut hair behind my ear and ran his index-finger along my jaw line. We stared at one another for a long moment. I swallowed hard. Adam pressed his lips to mine again; but he didn't take it any further than that. He was waiting for me to make the first move. So I made it. My lips gently caressed his; and he gently caressed mine in return. After a moment or two, his arm slipped around my waist again and he pulled me close. Man, he smelled terrific. It was a combination of cologne and aftershave. I sighed against Adam's lips. He lifted up his free hand and cupped my face in response.

After a few minutes, it went from nice, pleasant kissing to depriving each other of oxygen. I wrapped my arms tightly around Adam's neck. I could feel him grabbing a fistful of my sundress. I couldn't believe it. I was making out with my best friend…and he was actually enjoying it. Maybe he would have enjoyed sex too? Maybe it wouldn't have ended up being some awkward ordeal where we did it, shook hands, and then went our separate ways?

I jumped as Adam suddenly pulled away. I stared at him, slightly dazed. His face was as red as Jay's sunburn two summers ago.

"Sorry," he muttered.

I stammered, "F-For w-what?"

He nervously licked his lips.

"I was getting a little too into that."

"I wasn't complaining," I said in a soft voice.

He nodded.

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay, really."

Adam swiftly rose to his feet. He started to pace.

"I, uh, if you, uh, if you don't want to go back to the party, I, uh, I can, uh, walk you home. Yeah, I'll walk you home."

I stood up and grabbed Adam by the hand. He stopped pacing and looked at me. His eyes were a deeper shade of green now.

"Calm down," I squeaked. "You're starting to make _me_ nervous."

He looked down at floor and muttered, "Sorry."

I intertwined my fingers with his. He gave my hand a squeeze. After a moment, I let out a laugh. He looked up at me.

"If you're this upset about a little kissing," I said. "I would've hated to see how you would've acted after we had sex."

He laughed slightly.

"I guess we dodged that bullet, huh?"

I sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Let's just forget this whole night. Okay?"

Adam could forget this night, if he wanted to. But I was going to carry it with me for the rest of my life.

I nodded, "Okay."

Adam and I stood there in silence for several minutes. He was just staring at me. His thumb caressed my knuckle. All of a sudden, he pulled me into a tight hug. I squealed in response; but after a moment, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my nose inside the crook of his neck.

"I can't believe tomorrow's our last day together," he murmured into my ear.

"You make it sound like one of us is dying or something," I laughed softly. "We still have some of the summer; and we'll still be able to see each other in between college and your wrestling training."

"Yeah, but it won't be the same. I'll be busy. You'll be busy. The only time I'd get to see you is if I could find a wrestling gig in Calgary. Other than that, I can't drive back and forth to see you and help my mom pay her bills."

I frowned.

"I guess I hadn't thought about it like that."

Adam sighed and gave me a hard squeeze.

"I guess we're not going to be the Three Musketeers anymore."

"But what if I go to Humber with you and Jay? They have a journalism program, too. There's still time. I could change schools."

Adam pulled back and gave me a look of astonishment.

"What? Are you nuts? Your mom was through the roof that you got accepted to the University of Calgary. How could you even consider letting her down like that?"

"I'd still be going to college," I replied. "So I wouldn't be letting her down."

Adam shook his head at me.

"That's crazy, Luce. There's no way I'm letting you do that. Besides, you can do so much better than Humber."

"Well, so could you," I pointed out. "And how do you plan on stopping me from changing schools? Are you going to chain me to the floor?"

"Nope," he answered with a mischievous grin. "But I could wrestle you for it. If I lose, you can go to Humber with me and Jay. If you lose, you're going to Calgary."

I laughed.

"Well, that's hardly fair; because you know you're going to win."

"That's precisely why I suggested it, sweetie. Now come on. I'll give you a freebie. Put me in your best wrestling hold."

I gave Adam a playful shove and slowly backed away.

"Forget it, Adam. I am not going to wrestle you to determine what college I'm going to," I said with another laugh.

"Too bad because that's the only way we can settle this."

Adam got into a wrestling stance. My eyes widened. He was going to come at me!

"Adam Copeland, don't you dare," I shrilled and climbed onto Jay's bed, as if the slight height difference would somehow give me an advantage.

Adam grabbed my ankle. I squealed in response and tried my best to shake him off; but I lost my balance and fell on top of him instead. We hit the floor with a loud thud. My body was comfortably conformed to Adam's. His hands were resting on my rear; but I didn't mind.

"I do believe this would constitute as a pin," I said in a teasing manner.

"Clumsiness is not a wrestling move," he countered with the most adorable smile.

"Maybe not…But I _meant_ to fall on you, so…"

Adam chuckled.

"I'm sure you did."

"I did. I was just luring you in with my I-Don't-Want-To-Wrestle-You façade."

He chuckled again.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

I giggled, "Yes. So my façade work; therefore, I win."

Adam let out a melodramatic sigh. A smile was dancing across those beautiful lips, which still had traces of my lip-gloss on them. He reached up and brushed hair away from my face.

"Are you absolutely, one hundred-and-twenty percent sure you want to trade in Calgary for Humber?" He asked after a moment.

"Anywhere you—and Jay—are is where I want to be," I replied softly.

I hadn't meant for those words to come out the way they did; because I didn't want any more awkwardness between us. (Though, if he took the time to realize that he still had a hand on my butt, there would be more awkwardness.) To my surprise, Adam wasn't the least bit uncomfortable with my remark. He gave me a look as if to say, "Awe!"

"But I bet you knew that already," I added, blushing.

Adam didn't say anything. He simply lifted his head and brushed his lips across mine. This time it was in a sweet, friendly manner. Whenever he pulled away, I scrambled to get to my feet. It was my turn to be nervous again. Adam grabbed my wrist. I paused and gazed down at him.

"I should give you something so that I can be with you, even when I can't be," he muttered.

My brow furrowed.

"Huh? What do you m—"

Before I could finish my question, Adam jerked me on top of him again. I squealed as he crushed his lips to mine. My eyes widened. I was frozen in place while my best friend, the guy I had literally known my whole life, was kissing me like he meant it. I gently pried my mouth away from his.

"A-Adam," I squeaked nervously.

"Shut up, Luce," he said. "Or I'm going to lose my nerve."

Before I could say anything else, he captured my lips again. I moaned in response. After a moment or two, I finally conceded to my desire to kiss him back. So there we were, having a really hot make-out session on Jay's bedroom floor. I had virtually gone from a kissing virgin to a kissing skank in a matter of minutes.

Adam suddenly rolled me onto my back. He held my hands to the floor.

"_This_ is a pin," he told me with a sort of sultry growl.

My first thought was: _Wow. Adam's into masochism. Who knew? _My second thought was: _Are we seriously going to do it on the floor? What if I get some sort of infection?_

My emotions must have been written across my face because Adam let go of my hands. His fingers slowly slid down the length my arms and rested on my cheeks.

"I'll be gentle. I promise," he muttered sweetly.

I smiled and nodded nervously.

"I know."

Adam brought his lips to mine again. The kiss was a lot softer, a lot sweeter, and kind of reminiscent of our initial one a few minutes before. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around him. My fingers absentmindedly played with his hair tie while we kissed. After a moment or two, without breaking our heated embrace, he reached up and pulled the hair tie out of his hair. All of a sudden my hands were filled with his long, golden locks. So I was lying there, thinking about how thoughtful it was of him to take his hair down so I could run my fingers through it, whenever I felt one of his hands slip beneath my sundress. I immediately stiffened in response. Adam's hand froze in place.

"Too soon?" he murmured against my lips.

"N-No," I stammered. "I-I-I just…"

"I'll take care of you," he reassured me again.

I swallowed hard and nodded again.

Adam went back to kissing me. We kissed for what seemed like hours. Adam's hand didn't move from its spot until he felt me tugging at his T-Shirt. He lifted up slightly so that I could pull the shirt over his head. Adam had always been very lean and tan; but I noticed that he was starting to get some abdominal muscles. Great, like I needed to envision him working out while we were doing it.

"See something you like?" he asked in a teasing manner.

I giggled and blushed slightly.

"Sorry. Just surprised at how in shape you're getting. I didn't mean to stare."

He smiled and settled on top of me again.

"Stare all you want, Luce. This is _your_ night."

Gosh, he was so sweet. I smiled and lifted up to kiss him again. A few moments later, his jeans and underwear were gone; and before I knew it, I was naked as well.

Adam was taking his time getting to the big moment. For several minutes, his hands and mouth learned the contours of my body. He certainly knew how to fondle a girl. That's for sure. I could feel his growing erection resting against my inner-thigh; I instinctively started to spread my legs so he had better access.

"Are you ready?" he whispered against my lips.

"I think so," I whispered back.

Adam slipped one arm underneath my body and one underneath my right leg. We both took a deep breath; and then Adam very slowly pushed into me. I whimpered in pain and dug my fingernails into his shoulder blades. He stopped moving.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked, concerned.

"Just a little," I replied, shuffling uncomfortably.

He frowned.

"Relax, sweetie. It might hurt less if you're relaxed."

"I'm as relaxed as I can be in this situation, Adam."

He gave me a nod of understanding and brushed his lips across mine. He kissed me for a long time and then tried to push into me again. I yelped in response. He stopped again.

"Keep going," I urged him between slightly clenched teeth.

"I can't if I'm going to keep hurting you. I don't want to hurt you."

"It might not hurt in a minute or two."

Adam paused for a moment and then withdrew from me. His hand slipped between us. I gasped as I felt him inserted two of his very long fingers into me. He started to slowly move them in and out. My fingers dug into his shoulder blades again, only this time out of pleasure.

"Is that better?" he asked in a low, sultry tone.

"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" I countered, moaning.

He simply chuckled in response and captured my lips with his. The more passionate the kissing became; the more aggressive the finger probing became. My pelvis started to rock against his hand. He moaned in response. Just as I was about to climax for the first time, Adam swiftly replaced his fingers with manhood. I gasped again; but this time it was from the sensation of being completely filled. Not from being in pain.

"Adam," I moaned into his ear.

"Am I still hurting you?" he asked with a moan of his own.

"No…Keep going."

Adam withdrew a little and then pushed into me again. But he pushed a bit too hard and I yelped in pain.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"It's okay. Try again."

So he did; and it was still a little too hard. Another yelp followed.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay."

This push-yelp-sorry routine continued for a couple minutes until Adam found a safe, steady rhythm. Then half a minute later the passion was over. Afterward, Adam and I laid there in silence and stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes. Then Adam started to gather up his clothes. I sat up and watched him. I could tell by the expression on his face that he was slightly disappointed with our experience together.

"Adam, did I do something wrong?" I asked as I draped my sundress over my body.

Adam was nervously putting his hair back into that a loose ponytail. He shook his head.

"No, Luce," he replied with a slight smile. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that it wasn't what I was expecting; and I'm sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting."

I shrugged.

"Minus the first painful couple of minutes, it was fine. I mean, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be…People always say the first time sucks, but at least we got it out of the way, right?"

Adam flashed me a hurt look as he helped me up off the floor.

"So, you're saying I sucked?"

My eyes widened.

"No, not at all," I gasped. "I just meant that the next time we'll be better at it."

Adam nodded and then stared at me for a moment or two. His eyes raked over my body. I was still naked and using my sundress as a shield. He smiled slightly.

"You really shouldn't cover yourself up like…You're just as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside, Luce. I'm now an authority on the matter, I think."

I blushed and laughed slightly, "Thank you…Thank you for everything. I'm not exactly sure what made you change your mind; but thank you."

Adam simply smiled and kissed my forehead.

"You're welcome."

I quickly slipped back into my sundress. Adam helped me tie the string around my neck. When he was finished, he placed a friendly kiss on the top of my head. I turned to face him.

"I'm going to go clean myself up in the bathroom. You go on downstairs," I said. "It'll look suspicious if I come down with you and have The Bride of Frankenstein's hair."

Adam chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Will you still walk me home?" I asked.

"Of course…"

I gave Adam the most compassionate smile I could and moved the desk chair away from the door.

"Hey, Luce…"

Adam grabbed my hand just as I opened the door. I turned around. He gave me an awkward smile and asked, "Before graduation tomorrow, would you like to grab some breakfast…just the two of us?"

I stared at him for a moment and then smiled, "I'd love to."


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Adam "Edge" Copeland, Jay "Christian" Reso, or anything else pertaining to World Wrestling Entertainment. I am just a fan; and I am not profiting from writing this piece. **

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><p><strong>Present Day<strong>

I stirred as I felt someone else's fingers pushing my hair away from my face. My eyes fluttered open. I groggily poked at the broad chest that my head had suddenly made a pillow. The man chuckled.

"Good morning, Luce."

"Morning," I replied with a yawn and looked up. A pair of beautiful green eyes stared back at me. I smiled. It took me a moment to come to the realization that I had went to bed alone last night. My eyes widened.

"Adam!" I shrilled and rolled out of bed. "What the heck? How did you get into my house…again?"

My best friend let out another laugh.

"Well, it's good to see you, too, Luce. And I found your spare key underneath the Hummingbird feeder out front. You really need to start challenging me with these hiding places or sneaking in here and crawling in bed with you will start to lose its appeal."

I glared at Adam and said, "Just because you lived here once, doesn't mean you can just waltz in here whenever you want."

He smirked, "Well, I'm still paying off this place. So my bank account says I can do all the waltzing I want, sweet cheeks."

I angrily tossed a pillow at him.

"That's not the point, Adam. What if I slept naked?"

The beautiful, blond-haired man in my bed chuckled.

"It's nothing that I haven't seen a handful of times," he replied. "And you know you could be a little more excited. I did fly almost five-hundred miles just to see you."

I stared at him a moment. Then I let out a sigh and took a seat on the edge of the bed. I looked over at him.

"I'm sorry," I said after a moment. "It's just I haven't seen you in person in over three months. The last thing I expected was to wake up next to you."

Adam gave me a soft, sad smile. Then he laughed slightly, "You didn't expect to wake up next to me? Did you miss the part where I retired on national television last week?"

I gave him a sympathetic look.

"No," I replied softly. "No, I watched it."

In fact, I cried all the way through his retirement speech last Monday night. I knew how much wrestling meant to Adam; and for him to be forced to walk away from it after all these years, must have killed him. Sadly, now he knew how I felt the day he walked away from me. That's ancient history, though; and I only think about that heartache when I'm crying into the box of chocolates he sends me every Valentine's Day.

"Luce?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you giving me that look? I thought you'd be happy that I've finally hung up my boots; and I get to come see you anytime I want."

"Oh," was all I could say.

Adam furrowed his brow. He had a confused and concerned expression across his face.

"Oh…That's it?"

I scowled.

"What am I supposed to say, Adam? No, I'm not happy that you had to leave the WWE because it wasn't on your terms. And you know you didn't even have the decency to call me and tell me you were having so many problems with your neck. Yet I bet you told Jay."

"Luce, please. I didn't come here for this. I just wanted to—"

"Have you forgotten that I completely rearranged my life so I could look after you whenever you had surgery on it in 2002? I moved here from Toronto, Adam. I left my home and my job for you. And I had to find out that you were retiring like I was a regular wrestling fan. Do you have any idea how bad that made me feel?"

Adam gave me the most heartbreaking, apologetic look.

"I should have told you I was having problems," he said. "But I didn't want to worry you. I knew you were still grieving over David breaking up with you. So I didn't want my problems added to yours."

"But David broke up with me six months ago," I said solemnly.

He nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"So, the troubles you were having…They've been going on that long?" I asked after a moment.

Adam ignored me and countered with his own question.

"I take it that you're still taking the break-up pretty hard?"

I shrugged and answered vaguely, "What's done is done."

"Luce," Adam scowled. "You were with the guy for what? Four years?"

"Five," I corrected.

"Okay, so you were with guy for five years. You can't tell me that you're perfectly fine with the break-up."

I shrugged again.

"It is what it is. He wanted to get married. I didn't. End of story. What do you want for breakfast?"

Adam sighed and threw up his hands.

"Okay. Okay. I get it. No more David-talk."

"Thank you," I said flatly and quickly rose from the bed. "I'm going to use the bathroom and freshen up a little. Go ahead and make yourself even more comfortable. I'll be out in a minute."

I threw on a pair of jeans and a white tank top. Then I brushed my hair and pulled it into a tight ponytail. I looked at myself one more time before I headed into the living-room. Adam was sprawled out on my sofa and flipping through the television channel. He had changed a lot since the last time I had seen him. His shoulder-length blond hair was even shorter, just over his ears. So a little bit of his natural curls were starting to show. He had put on a little weight because his face seemed to be fuller; but he was still maintaining that slim build. More importantly, he seemed to be well-rested. There were no bags underneath his eyes.

I jumped upon noticing that Adam noticed me looking at him. He flashed me that white, perfect smile.

"So, where are we going for breakfast?" he asked. "McDonald's, IHOP, Jay's?"

"None of the above," I answered. I quickly turned away so that he wouldn't see how red my cheeks were getting.

He turned his head to side and looked at me in a curious manner.

"So, we're going to Lost Boys it and pretend we're eating breakfast? I don't think my stomach is going agree with that."

I laughed softly.

"No, Peter Pan, we're not going to pretend we're eating breakfast. I'm going to make it."

Adam stared at me for a long moment and then he burst into laughter.

"You're going to make breakfast? Luce, sweetie, need I remind you that you can barely crack an egg?"

"No, _you_ can barely crack and egg. Me, I know how to cook."

Adam laughed again, "Since when?"

"Since about seven years ago," I replied as I yanked the remote control out his hand and turned off the television. "David was an excellent cook. He taught me well. Now come. Give me a hand."

He gave me the sweetest look.

"Luce, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" he asked.

I smiled.

"I'm fine, really."

"I don't believe you."

"I am, Adam. The relationship just ran its course. It happens. He's moved on. I've moved on…kind of."

Adam's brow rose.

"Who's the lucky guy?" he asked.

"No one in particular," I replied nervously and quickly headed for the kitchen. Adam was hot on my heels.

"What do you mean 'no one in particular'? Don't tell me you're trying casual dating at your age?"

I scoffed.

"You're one to lecture me about settling down, Mr. Married-And-Divorced-Twice. Adam, I just got out of a serious relationship. So I think casual dating is acceptable at this point…I haven't seen you in ages. Do we really have to have such a hot and heavy relationship discussion right out of the gate?"

Adam laughed.

"Right…Sorry…Breakfast first and then a hot and heavy relationship discussion…And at least I've been married. It shows I don't have commitment issues…sort of."

"Yeah, sort of," I mumbled under my breath.

I made Adam and I a breakfast of scrambled, bacon, and toast. After we finished eating, we cuddled up on the sofa and watched television. There was that old familiar feeling. That feeling that he came home to me every day. It was as if I hadn't gone three months without seeing him.

I glanced up at Adam as I leaned back against his chest.

"How long are you going to be visiting?" I asked.

"Just for tonight," he replied.

"Oh," I frowned.

"I have to go to Europe for some WWE-rated stuff," he explained as he kissed the tip of my nose. "I'm like Cher. I'm going on a big farewell tour."

"I see…How long will you be gone for?"

"Oh a good couple of weeks…Then it's off to Canada to make an appearance or two at those shows and to film a new episode of Haven…Then I have to do the SummerSlam Fan Axxess thing and—"

"I thought you were supposed to be retiring?" I interrupted with a raised brow.

Adam chuckled slightly.

"I'm retired from the ring; but I'm still contractually obligated to the WWE."

I studied him for a moment. Then I asked, "Adam, why did you go through all this trouble to visit me, if you're still so busy?"

"I've missed ya, Luce," he replied with a smile. "I've missed ya like crazy as a matter of fact."

I smiled slightly.

"I've missed you, too. But one day isn't going to make up for the fact that I probably won't see you for another three months."

Adam kissed the tip of my nose again and said, "I'm not going to be traveling like this forever, sweetie."

"But you don't exactly live in Florida anymore, do you?"

"No, but that doesn't mean you can't come visit me every now and then. You have yet to see my new place. You need to see it. The view is amazing."

I frowned.

"Okay, first, Liz wouldn't like it. She can't stand the fact that you and I have a past. Secondly, there's Jay. You've already abandoned him. Jericho's never home. All he has left is me. His divorce has been really hard on him."

Adam laughed.

"Okay, Liz dumped me, like, a month ago. I thought I told you that? And you're acting like I'm asking you to move in with me. I'm not. Just come visit me for a few days. You can visit me while Jay's on the road. That way you'll be back before he has a chance to drown himself in his swimming-pool again."

I raised a brow.

"How did you know Jay tried to drown himself in his pool?"

Adam chuckled.

"You know as well as I do that he's always had a flare for the dramatics. Was he drunk and wearing kids' floaties?"

I laughed nervously, "Yeah, well, we were _both_ a little drunk that night."

Adam gave me a look of surprise.

"You drunk," he said in disbelief. "That's a first. I would've loved to have been here for that one."

I laughed and shuffled uncomfortably. I, for one, was glad he wasn't here that night.

"So, what if I do decide to come see you for a few days?" I asked after a moment. "It's still going to have to be a while from now, right?"

"You're not trying to see the bright side of this, are you?" he countered with the laugh.

"Do you blame me?"

"No, I guess not."

Adam and I fell silent. He was stroking my hair in a calming manner.

"Well, there's only one thing to do if you want to spend more time with me," he said after a moment.

My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"Oh no, no, no, no…There's no way I'm doing that. I am not gallivanting across the globe with you and Jay."

Adam chuckled.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, Luce."

"I have my own job, Adam. I can't just leave it for an extended amount of time."

"You're a journalist, sweetie. Journalists make their living writing on the go. Or have you forgotten that?"

I grumbled in response.

"Look, just tell the paper that you're doing a piece on me," Adam continued. "I was huge Floridian back in the day. Your people would eat up getting an exclusive from me. You can travel around with me and take notes on all the events. You could call it: A Day in the Life: The Adam Copeland Story."

I looked at him with a raised brow.

"You've thought about being on the front page of the newspaper a lot, haven't you?"

He laughed.

"I'm just trying to make a point. You could really use this opportunity to your advantage…Besides, what would be so bad about traveling with Jay and me? It'd be just like old times."

"Yeah," I nodded slowly. "Just like old times…sort of."


End file.
